JAPANESE SWORDS

Japanese swords, particularly those wielded by famous samurai warriors, hold a continuing fascination for collectors of fine arts and historical military weapons.
This book is designed to enhance one's appreciation for the wide variety of Japanese swords (as well as their related polearms), their manufacture and their preservation.

A History of the Samurai tells the complete story of Japan's legendary warrior class from beginning to end—an epic tale of intrigue, bloodshed, and bravery that offers deep insight into a pivotal era of Japanese history and culture. With renewed global fascination fueled by popular shows like SHOGUN and other feudal Japan dramas, this book offers timely insight into the real warriors behind the legend.

Tracing the epic 5,000-year story of warfare from the earliest battles to the War on Terror, The Military History Book explores and explains the causes and consequences of each, offering a new angle on military history. Individual entries analyse the key social and political driving forces, the arms and armaments, and the technologies and tactics of war over the last 7,000 years – from the tactics of early infantry and siegecraft to the rise of naval combat steel, steam, and shellfire, and from trench warfare and aerial dogfights to chemical weapons and cyber warfare.

Get up close to more than 400 of the most important tanks and armoured vehicles ever built.

In 1916, the British built a machine that was impervious to enemy fire, and could dominate the battlefield, crushing obstacles and barbed wire in its path. The first tank, or "Mother" as it was known, had arrived. In The Tank Book you can view it in detail, along with other iconic models, including the German Panzer, the legendary Tiger, the Vickers Medium Mark II, the Centurion, and the Hellcat - the fastest armoured fighting vehicle ever.

This comprehensive volume takes you through the most exciting story in recent military history with the development of heavy artillery, anti-tank weaponry, and the men - such as Sir William Tritton and Mikail Koshkin - who designed these awe-inspiring beasts. It shows each key model in stunning detail, highlighting elements such as their armour and weaponry, and much more besides.

Explore the lives and achievements of history's most important military figures with this illustrated guide to military men and women.

Featuring more than 100 key generals and military leaders from Alexander the Great to Winston Churchill, Masters of War takes you on a visual chronological journey of military history and the people behind the battles that have shaped it, starting in ancient Egypt and coming up to date with World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East.